Robert McKinley, Senior Analyst/Editor
Robert McKinley is an analyst of the payments industry on a daily basis for 32 years covering payment cards and payment systems from both the business side and the consumer side. McKinley is the retired founder and chief executive of RAM Research, CardWeb and CardTrak. In his prior position, McKinley has participated in more than 10,000 documented news media interviews, testified as an expert witness in two separate $billion+ U.S. anti-trust trials, testified before the U.S. Congress, assisted the GAO with paymentsIMG_2006 (1).jpeg reports, chaired numerous business conferences and provided C-Suite opinion to a multitude of Fortune 500 companies. In retirement, he has continued developing and funding digital media assets as well as contributing payments related analysis/content to a broad list of online publishers, including CardFlash, CardTrak and CardData. McKinley is also a national certified mentor with the non-profit SCORE organization with a focus on assisting Fintech startups. www.robert-mckinley.com

Citi Retail Services and Wawa will launch a private label consumer credit card program for Wawa customers tomorrow. Wawa owns and operates more than 700 convenience stores (over 450 offering gasoline) in five Mid-Atlantic states and Florida.

PayForward has launched the Visa Link Card – the first card of its kind allowing users to earn instant cash from PayForward merchant partners while still receiving rewards from their current providers. This new feature aims to strengthen PayForward’s convenience and effectiveness by allowing members to use assets already in their wallets.

London-based CEX.IO is providing the best experience of buying Bitcoins with credit cards and debit cards. This is based on the exchange’s ideal conditions for quick and successful processing of card payments, the wide range of acceptable payment cards, and numerous positive feedbacks from users.

According to a new survey, less than a third of business owners reported improved financial positions over the past year, down four points since March. Growth expectations also fell, with only 38% expecting improved financial position in the next six months, down from 47% in March.

Among merchants in the retail category, 69% of Shoe Stores and 59% of Department Stores have EMV-ready terminals. On the lower end of the spectrum, 23% of Stationery Stores and 24% of Book Stores have EMV-ready terminals.

First Data supports Samsung Pay, now available for in-store use in the USA. Samsung Pay will be accepted across First Data’s point-of-sale devices, including the innovative Clover family of business management solutions. First Data’s STAR Network, the largest independent debit network, will also support Samsung Pay.

Global Payments (GPN) is offering its merchants in the USA the ability to accept Samsung Pay, a simple and safe mobile payment service that works almost anywhere you can swipe or tap your card. As a Samsung Pay-qualified payment provider, Global Payments’ robust suite of payment solutions is fully enabled for acceptance, allowing merchants to offer their customers the convenience of Samsung Pay.